Karma
by nikkimariexoxo
Summary: Her mother gave her one job and Karma knows the consequences if she doesn't succeed. But what will happen when things suddenly get complicated and the one person she is supposed to hate is looking at her like he can see straight through her hard exterior?
1. Tributes

And we are full! Yipeeee!

I was impatient so I took one of my lovely reviewers ideas and just filled in random bloodbaths... of course they can't be the only bloodbaths. What fun would that be?;)

District1

Female: Jennie Malacox (15)

Male: Crawn Xeil (17)

District2

Female: Payton Joon (14)

Male: Tranoe Zeefer (17)

District3

Female: Joyln King (13)

Male: Hesten Lien (14)

District4

Female: Llexandra Lane (16)

Male: Ozzy Rodregez (17)

District5

Female: Cassandra Levett (14)

Male: Alfred Dixon (18)

District6

Female: Fortune White (12)

Male: Trenton Gater (16)

District7

Female: Ayanelle (Aya) Breau (17)

Male: Griffin Alden (17)

District8

Female: Sky Richards (16)

Male: Ryan Jester (12)

District9

Female: Brandi Hahn (18)

Male: Crane Keel (13)

District10

Female: Alyssa Ruth (13)

Male: Tyler Rivers (17)

District11

Female: Zafeera Anderson (15)

Male: Trey Bryant (16)

District12

Female: Karma Freeman (17)

Male: Kazran Naylor (15)


	2. Chapter 1

**AUTHORS NOTE: Im just gonna say now that this is not your average SYOT. I will not be doing chapters in every tributes point of view. Most of the story will be in Karma's point of view because she is the main character. That does NOT mean she will be the winner. I like twists so expect the unexpected;) Anywayyss I need tributes! The only ones I have are district seven's male, district twelve's male, and of course Karma who is district twelve's female tribute. Im going to put the information I need for the tributes on my profile so just fill it out and leave in a review or pm me(:**

**Also, my spelling and grammar checker is not working for some reason, so just bear with me and let me know if there are any errors! I'm hoping to have it fixed before I post the next chapter. Keep your fingers crossed!(:**

**Lastly, I would really appreciate it if you would review! I'd like to know what you think whether it's good or bad. I lovvve constructive critism. Oh yeah, also let me know if this chapter is too short because I can make the next longer if that's the case!**

**xoxo,**

**Nikkimarie**

Karma: [Kahr-muh] noun. Action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation.

Karma. The name came with a lot of baggage. For example, I have my own catch-phrase: "Karma's a bitch". This would be insanely cool if I hadn't been nicknamed bitch by basically the whole school, or if it was actually true.

Yeah, being a bitch would definitely make my job ten times easier. You see, I was born to kill. This is where people would laugh and say, "What? Sweet little sarcastic Karma a killer? As if!" Of course, if I told them I was a career, which I guess I technically am, I would probably get a few pats on the back and an " I'm so proud of you."

This is what the games have turned Panem into. People are praised for being monsters. As if throwing a bunch of teenagers into an arena and telling them to kill each other isn't enough, you have to throw in a couple of careers who are all high and mighty in the eyes of the capitol because they have been trained to commit mass murder.

Opinions like these don't usually come from careers, but I'm not your average career. For one, I'm from District Twelve. The Seam to be more specific. Also, noone knows I'm a career. The news of a District Twelve career would surely get back to the other districts, and it would be a lot harder to do what I have to if he knew I was coming for him.

I was born to kill District seven's male tribute in the Hunger Games. Twenty four years ago, my mum's twin sister Cypress was reaped for the Hunger Games when she was thirteen. She never had a chance. She was killed by an ax through her stomach, on the second day, by District Seven's male tribute.

Let me just say now, my mum can hold a grudge. She blamed that guy for her sister's death, and eventually all the District Seven male tributes became the same to her. They all represented her sister's killer.

This is where I come in. My mum devised this plan that her future daughter would be the one to avenge her sister's death. So, she had me when she was twenty and she named me Karma. I'm the "Inevitable bad results he brought upon his reincarnation."

Of course I never wanted this. When I was old enough to realize that it was wrong, I rebeled. I refused to show up to the midnight training sessions with my mum in the woods, I wouldn't talk to her, and eventually I threatened to tell everyone about her little plan. For a year it worked. She didn't make me train and everything was normal. Then she had an idea.

My little sister, who was two at the time, was just another pawn in my mum's messed up game. She gave me a choice: Either I do the job, or my sister would. I will not let Briar-Rose be turned into a killing machine.

I look down at Rosie. I'm doing her hair for the reaping even though at nine, she is still too young to be in danger. She told me she wanted to match me today, which isn't very hard considering she looks just like me even at her age. Neither of us look like we belong in the Seam because our father, who died after Rosie was born, wasn't from the Seam. We both have the same long, light brown hair that falls in natural waves to the middle of our backs. I am 5'10" and my sister is likely to be tall when she is older. Our skin has a natural tan and the only difference is our eyes. Rosie's are blue while mine are green.

"Hey Karma," Rosie whispers, pulling me out of my thoughts. "are you scared?"

The million dollar question: Are you scared? I'm not really scared of what will happen to me in there, after all, I've been training my whole life and I'm prepared. I am scared that if for some reason I fail to kill District Seven's tribute, whether it be because someone else does it first or I die, that Rosie will be forced to do what I couldn't. Of course I can't tell her this.

I scoff, "Not even a little bit."

"Oh. I am."

I tie a hair bow around the fishtail braid, which is the same hairstyle my hair is in for the reaping, and turn her so she is facing me.

"You shouldn't be." I say, "Before you know it, I will be back home and we won't have to worry about the stupid Hunger Games ever again."

"Until I'm twelve." She reminds me, playing with the tie around the waist of her simple off white dress.

I want to tell her not to worry, that the odds will be in her favor, that she has no chance of being drawn from the bowl of names. They would all be empty promises. I've seen numerous twelve year olds called up to the stage even if their name was only in there once. Instead I say:

"Let's not worry about it right now, we need to get to the reaping."

At the reaping Mum pulls Rosie away without saying a word to me, but Rosie blows a kiss over her shoulder before they are swallowed by the crowd. I tug at the hem of my shapeless dark green dress with thick tanktop sleeves so that it falls evenly a few inches above my knees. Then, I make my way over to the seventeen age group, shoving through people and sending an occasional wave in the direction of familar faces. I take a spot closest to the edge so that I can get out easily when I volunteer.

The feeling of the crowd is morbid, and the scared whispers die down once the Mayor takes the stage and begins reading the speech that is recited every year about the rebellion. Then our district representative comes on stage introducing herself in a voice that is way too happy considering she is getting ready to send two kids to their deaths.

"Hello everyone! I am Yuki and I'm so excited to be here in beautiful District Twelve today!"

This causes a few chuckles as Yuki gestures to the area around us. District Twelve is definitely not what I would call beautiful.

"Today, two children between the ages of twelve and eighteen will have the honor of representing their district in the hundred and thirteenth Hunger Games!" She screams as she pushes her sparkly purple wig up after it falls slightly to the left of her head.

There is a pause before everyone realizes that she's waiting for the applause. The crowd tentatively claps, but it dies down quickly. Looking flustered, Yuki continues.

"So lets begin! Ladies first!" She chirps as she walks over to the first glass ball that contains thousands of papers with the girls' names.

Her tattooed hand flutters over the opening before gingerly reaching in and snatching a small slip of white paper. She slowly opens the paper and it seems like everyone is holding their breath praying that their name is not called.

"River Machin!" The name slips from her lips like a death sentence. Sighs of relief are audible in my section as everyone looks around for this year's victim. Yuki scans the crowd of girls calling out the name again.

"River Machin, don't be shy. Come take the stage!"

Slowly the group of thirteen year olds parts and a scrawny girl, who is obviously from the Seam, is pushed forward. As she walks dazed up to the stage, you can hear her family's wails from the crowd of onlookers. Once she reaches the stage, Yuki claps excitedly and holds her arm up in the air as if she has won some great contest.

"River Machin, your female tribute for this year's Hunger Games!" She then pauses and looks around, "Unless, of course, someone would like to volunteer."

This is what I have been waiting for. There are no siblings that will take her place because if there were, they would have said something by now. I wait a few seconds and then, with my heart beating frantically, I do the one thing everyone least expects from our district.

"I volunteer!" I yell, making it sound like I decided this on the spot. Everyone's heads turn to look at me. There are frantic whispers through the crowd, River's parents have stopped crying, and Yuki cranes her neck to find the girl who was crazy enough to volunteer.

I quickly make my way through the people nodding my head at River as I pass her on the stage to get to Yuki.

"I volunteer." I repeat.

It seems as if the whole world was put on pause. Everyone is silent, Mum has a practiced look of shock on her face, Rosie has genuine tears in her blue eyes, and River is staring at me, the girl who saved her life. That's one thing that's good about being forced to volunteer for the games. That girl surely would have died if I hadn't stepped up.

"Oh my, umm what a lovely suprise!" Yuki starts, " What is your name sweetie?"

"Karma Freeman." I state . I must have been an actress in another life because my voice is unwavering with a little bit of uncertainty slipping through and I manage to mask my feelings with a determined look. In reality, my heart is fluttering nervously, my palms are sweating, and a feeling of panic is swelling up in my chest. Even though I knew I was volunteering today I'm still extremely nervous.

"What a beautiful name. How old are you Karma?"

"17"

"Well there you have it, your female tribute!" She says in the same peppy voice she used at the beginning of the reaping.

My middle name should be deception because I just pulled this off flawlessly. I can tell that everyone thinks I am some hero. They think I volunteered to save a girl who had no hope of coming home from the games. It makes me feel good for a minute until I remeber that I'm really supposed to be the villian.

"Now let's chose our lucky gentleman who will be accompanying Karma."

Once again she reaches into a glass ball and grabs a slip of paper.

"Kazran Naylor!" She calls out.

This time a fifteen year old boy with a muscular build, dark hair, olive skin, and brown eyes takes the stage. I can tell he is from the Seam, but I don't know him. His face is void of emotion and nobody volunteers for him. When he turns to shake my hand, his grip is tight, and he holds on to my hand longer than he needs to. He probably has a family, siblings, best friends, maybe even a girlfriend he is going to be fighting to come home to. I feel a brief pang of guilt, but it is gone as quickly as it came. I shouldn't feel guilty for knowing I might have to kill him, because he will be trying to kill me too.

To bad only one of us will be coming home alive, and I promised a nine year old little girl that it would be me.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yay! New chapter! I figured that I would give you half a chapter so you wouldn't die of boredom. The other half of the chapter was supposed to be when the other tributes were all introduced, but I don't have all the tributes. The faster I get the tributes, the faster you get an update. Soooo... its time to put our thinking caps on and either throw some tributes together, or force other people to throw some tributes together!**

**Hope you like the chapter even though it's kind of a filler! Leave me some love! (or hate if thats what floats your boat.) Oh and please excuse any mistakes. My spellchecker is still being lame. Thanks(:**

**-Nikki**

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><p>The peacekeepers escort us off stage and through the dispersing crowd to the Justice Building. They take us to separate rooms where we can have privacy to say goodbye to our family and friends. I sit on one of the red velvet chairs and tap my feet impatiently on the polished floor. The first to enter my room is my best friend from school, Trinity.<p>

"Karma!" She exclaims, pulling me up out of my seat and throwing her arms around me. "What the heck were you thinking!"

"I don't know, Trinity. I just couldn't let her go into the games. She would have died in the bloodbath for sure!" The lie slips out suprisingly easy.

"So you did it so she wouldn't have to? That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard. You didn't even know the girl. People die in these games, Karma, or did you forget that in your moment of insanity?"

"I know." I say quietly. My voice must have sounded defeated because the fire in her eyes dies and we sit in silence for a while. The lines between her eyebrows doesn't disappear though, so I know she's thinking about what to say next.

"I'm really gonna miss you Kar." She sighs and looks at me.

"I'm going to be back Trin, you know that right?"

There's a pause while She tugs on her curly, dark brown hair, which is something I know she does when she's upset. It's obvious. She doesn't think I can win and if I do, she will think I'm a monster for killing all those kids. It will only be worse when she realizes that this was the plan the whole time. I'm a career and she'll hate me for it.

Instead of waitig for a response, I say,"I'll miss you too."

All too soon the peacekeepers are taking my only friend back outside, barely giving me enough time to hug her and say goodbye. My second, and final visitors enter the room. I quickly wipe my tears away before my mum can see that I have been crying. I was too late and she smirks knowingly at me.

"Oh Karma, you can't be showing any weakness." She scolds in a sickeningly sweet voice,"We wouldn't want you to fail at winning the Hunger Games. After all, Briar needs you."

To everyone else, this seems like a mother reminding her daughter of her reason to come home. To me it is a threat. Either I win, or Rosie takes my place.

"Get out." I hiss in a voice so soft only she can hear it. At this point I'm so mad at her for taking everything away from me. I've lost my bestfriend and once again she's threathening that she'll take my sister too.

Chuckling under her breath she stands and walks over to me. She bends down and plants a light kiss on my check then whispers in my ear.

"You know what you have to do."

I cringe but I give her the sweetest smile I can manage. If she can make threats, so can I.

"Oh don't worry Mum, I will be back for you. And for Rosie."

I tag the part about Rosie on at the end. I want to make sure she knows that I will be back and this time, it will be me robbing her of everything that has ever mattered to her. Including Rosie. She rolls her eyes and leaves. She doesn't think I am a threat to her, but she should know better.

I look over at my sister. Her lips are pulled down at the corners in a frown, and she has a worry line between her eyebrows. My mother has always called her Briar while I call her Rosie. A briar is a thorny plant and it is the last thing I would use to describe the beautiful girl standing in front of me. Rose is definitely more fitting.

"So this is it." I whisper.

For some reason it feels like I will throw off some weird balance in the room if I talk in a normal voice. Like everything around me would suddenly shatter and I would be left all alone with the broken pieces.

"I know you can do this." She states. It is times like these that I swear she is way older than nine. There isn't a single tear in sight on her serious face, but with this one statement she makes me want to break down and cry.

"I will do this, and then I'll come back for you."

"Pinky promise?" She asks as she holds out her pinky to me.

I smile and loop my pinkie around her's not bothering to remind her that I had already promised her this before.

"Pinky promise." I say.

When she pulls her pinky back, she slips off the thick, brown, leather bracelet she is wearing around her wrist.

"Will you wear this? You know, as your token."

"I would love to." I say as I slip it on. I don't even have to look to know what is engraved on it.

The bracelet says in small letters: "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."

The song is a lullaby that I used to sing to her when she was little. The bracelet is worn down because she never takes it off, and the tiny letters are kind of squished together so they would all fit, but it is perfect for the situation.

" I love you Karma." She tells me as she wraps her arms around me and buries her face in my shoulder.

" I love you too, Rosie. So, so much. Don't forget that." I choke out.

She sits on my lap with her face buried in my shoulder. This is how the peacekeepers find us when they come to escort her out. In the doorway of the room she manages to turn around, kiss three fingers, and hold them out in my direction. I do the same before she is pushed out of sight by the peacekeepers.

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><p>Finally the peacekeepers come to take me to the train. When Kazran joins us, his eyes are puffy and I can tell he has been crying. He gives me a sad smile and a nod like we suddenly share some kind of terrible inside joke after what we have been through.<p>

Suprisingly I find myself nodding my head back and whispering, "I know."

Embarassed that I let my gaurd slip to this boy, I quickly look away. I should know better than this. I have to stay away from all the other tributes. The Hunger Games is not the place to make friends.

We ride to the train in silence, and once we get inside we find our mentor sitting rigid on the couch. His name is Smith Frayer, and he won the one hundred and first Hunger Games when he was eighteen. He wasn't a great fighter, but he could kill when he had to and he knew how to survive. In the end, he delivered a fatal blow to the head of a career with a rock. He wouldn't have even won if the career had finished him off quickly instead of taking his time to torture his last victim.

We introduce ourselves and I can tell he is sizing us up. He's trying to decide if there's even a chance one of us can win. When he is done I can't tell whether he thinks we have promise or not because his face is blank.

"You volunteered," It's the first time I have ever heard him speak. "for someone you didn't even know."

It's not a question. It's just an observation and I have no idea how to respond, so I just nod.

"Why?"

"She was thirteen."

"People die all the time in these games."

"And?" I'm trying really hard not to snap at him, but I'm becoming frusturated with him stating the obvious.

"And you basically just made sure that you would be one of them."

"What gives you that idea?"

"Your a seventeen year old girl from District Twelve and you have no training."

"Shows how much you know about me." I mutter as I walk past him to my room.


	4. Chapter 3

**IMPORTANT A/N: Suprise! New chapter! I haven't updated in so long that I thought I would go ahead and do the reapings replay without having all the tributes. It actually worked out really well doing it this way so I'm happy with it(: I hope you all are okay with what the way I have portrayed you tributes and if your not, let me know and I'll see what I can do in the next chapter. I also still really need the rest of the tributes. The form for tributes is on my profile, and the list of available tribute spots is in a previous chapter. Hope you like this chapter. Its a bit longer than the others which is good I hope. But anyways, hope you have an amazing holiday! Merry Christmas! **

**Oh and a special thanks to anyone that has reviewed. It makes my day like ten billion times better when I get your feedback!(:**

**xoxo,**

**Nikki**

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><p>The majority of my afternoon was spent pacing the floor in my new room. I wish I could just shut my brain off and stop thinking for awhile. I'm thinking too much about all the 'what ifs' and I can feel the familiar swell of panic in my chest. I take a couple calming breaths and try to force myself back into the role of the calm confident girl I had been just a few hours ago.<p>

My hands are resting on the vanity in my room as I take a couple deep breaths. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I can't help but stare because I look so... normal. I don't know why this suprises me, its not like I thought I would suddenly look like a killer once I got here. I bring my shaky hands up and twist a stand of my hair out of my face.

I don't mean to sound conceited or stuck up, but I'm pretty. I've even had a fair share of admirers call me beautiful. They all liked my long, tan legs, piercing green eyes, and wavy, light brown hair. It all made me stand out from the crowd of dark haired, pale skinned girls in the Seam. My normally wavy hair is even more defined after I took it out of its braid, and it now sweeps past my shoulders like a waterfall, framing my face and making me look sweet and girly.

I could easily take that route stradegy-wise. I can pretend to be the pretty airhead and join a group of alpha males that will do all the dirty work. I've seen this stradegy used dozens of times with varying success. Sometimes the pretty girl ends up floating along with her alliance, a nonthreat in their eyes, then stabbing them in the back in the final four. Most of the time though, the pretty girl isn't smart enough to carry out the whole plan. She becomes to comfortable, and is disposed of once they've gotten what they want from of her.

I could do it. I could make it to the end without them even suspecting I had a brain in this pretty little head of mine. Do I really want to be that girl though? Constantly relying on my looks and my allies to carry me through the games. No.

Now, I pull my hair up in a harsh ponytail on top of my head. I still look beautiful, just in a fierce and dangerous way.

In this situation, I would be the fatal threat. The ultimate femme fatal. I would be a loner, or possibly the leader of a group of strong tributes. Of course I would be stronger, and everyone would know it. I wouldn't hide my strengths, instead I would flaunt them in an almost effortless way. Everyone would be after me, the strongest competitor, and I would pretend this didn't phase me at all. The only problem with this is that I have a job, and everyone would be looking over their shoulder at every snap of a twig praying that it wasn't me, but being prepared for when it was. I want the element of suprise on my side.

I let my hair fall again with a sigh, but sweep it up into a messy low ponytail this time. For now I will try to be just ordinary. I'll be a pretty girl that's quite and athletic. This will work atleast until I meet the other tributes and decide what to do from there.

Soon I'm called to dinner with Kazran, Yuki, and Smith. I haven't bothered changing out of my green reaping dress and my hair is still in a messy low ponytail. Before I enter the dining room, I throw my shoulders back and hold my head high. I want Smith to know that I don't care what he says because he's wrong. I'm not going to die in these games.

I take the last open seat at the table with Kazran to my right, Smith to my left, and Yuki straight across from me. It's awkward to say the least. No one is talking, we are all just spooning food into our mouths and avoiding eachother's eyes. The uncomfortable silence is broken with an even more uncomfortable conversation.

"So..." Yuki pauses, "Are you excited to see who the other tributes are?"

"Yeah. Thrilled." Kazran mumbles quietly causing me to force back a laugh. Is she really that dense? Why would anyone be excited to see the people that they have to kill?

"I don't know if excited is really the right word." I inform her in a clear voice. She seems suprised that I even spoke, let alone that I sound calm.

"Yes well um..." She tries to continue the conversation, but it's hopeless and we slip back into silence. A few minutes later, I can feel the burn of someone's eyes on me. I look to the side and find that Smith has completely stopped eating and is staring at me shamelessly. How weird can this guys get?

"Can I help you with something?" I raise my eyebrows at him. He just keeps studying me with this look of concentration on his face.

" You will not be training together." He states. This catches Kazran's attention.

"Uh... I thought that was supposed to be our decision."

"Why? Is your decision any different than the one I made for you?" He questions Kazran while still keeping his eyes on me.

"Well. No."

"Okay then. Like I said, you will be training separately. I also expect both of you to be present after dinner during the showings of the reapings. There are some things we need to go over." I've stayed silent up until now.

"Of course. Now if you'll excuse me I think I'm going to go to my room. I'll be back before it starts." I say. I mainly want to use this time to recollect myself before watching the reapings.

When I get to my room, I decide to go ahead and get ready for bed so I don't have to after the reapings. I stride over to the dresser in the corner of the room and yank open the top drawer. I quickly find undergarments and a white nightgown that falls to about the middle of my calf. I jump in the shower and wash my hair, before drying off and stepping into my pajamas. I run a brush through my hair quickly and then leave it to dry naturally.

When I reach the living room, I'm disappointed to find that Smith is the only one there yet. Thankfully he's not staring at me anymore. Instead, he hands me a notebook and a pen, then reaches behind me to hand one to Kazran who just arrived along with Yuki.

"While we watch, I want you to write down the tributes you think are threats or bloodbaths or basically any notes you have about them." He tells us and I walk over and sit in a chair infront of the tv.

While I'm waiting for the reapings to come on, I make a list of all the districts and write "male" and"female" under each one. He wants us to write who we think are threats, but in a game where everyone is trying to kill you, isn't everyone a threat? I quickly go down the list and write "threat" next to every tribute. Then I flip the page and label my paper again.

Suddenly the announcer comes on and a video is shown from district one. This is it, the replay of the reapings has begun. After their mayor speaks and their district escort takes the stage, I start to get nervous. This is a career district and they are most likely going to be some of my biggest competitors. The escort barely has time to reach for the female's bowl when someone volunteers.

The girl that takes the stage is gorgeous and she's definately younger than most careers. She has long, snow white blonde hair and the palest skin I have ever seen. She looks like an ice queen and she has cold green eyes to match. She struts up to the mic with a smug look on her face and introduces herself.

"Jennie Malacox, age fifteen." she provides and smiles cruely, "And I always get what I want."

The way she said it, sent shivers up my spine and I couldn't help but believe her.

Right when she is finished talking, there is a volunteer for male tribute. He is the polar opposite of his district partner. He is very tall and has shoulder length black hair which contrasts greatly with his pale skin. When he introduces himself as Crawn Xeil, his voice is warm and polite which contradicts his icy blue eyes.

District two is similar in the fact that people volunteered faster than the escort could draw a name. The male tribute, Tanoe Zeffer, is a huge burly guy with brown hair and eyes. He is very muscular and could overtake me easily. He's the kind of guy that I would assume would try to win by brute force, but you can't judge a book by it's cover. I will need to watch out for him. The female is obviously a career tribute also, and therefore is a major threat.

The next tribute is upsetting. The girl that was drawn from the bowl is only thirteen and small for her age. She has long, dark curly hair and big blue-gray eyes. You could tell she was terrified because when her name was called, she didn't move. This happens alot, but with her it was different. She wasn't just shocked that her name had been called, it was like she was frozen. I'm screaming in my head for her to move, atleast pretend she's okay so that she might have a chance. She never does. Someone has to carry her onto the stage. I stop watching for a minute because I'm truely horrified and I miss district three's male tribute.

I can already tell that I am not going to like district four's female tribute, and for only one reason. When her name was called, she flipped her black, wavy hair out of her face and said, "Oh! That's my name! Oh well, this could be fun!" and pranced up to the stage. She acted as if this was one huge, fun game. At least the careers understood that this was serious.

Districts five and six weren't very memorable, but that would most likely change once I actually saw them in person. Finally, it is time for district seven. The whole reason I'm here. I'm hoping that he's some horrible guy that I won't feel a single drop of remorse for having to kill. Unfortunately, I'm never that lucky.

When the district seven male tribute is called, I hold my breath. Suddenly the camera zooms in on a tall guy in the seventeen age group with broad shoulders and tan skin. He takes a hesitant step forward and then he realizes everyone is watching him and he tilts his head up a little higher. He's got muscles, but he's not ripped and his dark brown hair is cut short.

His chocolate brown eyes scan the crowd before landing on someone outside the view of the camera's. He gives a sweet, goofy smile and mouths, "It's okay." to the mystery person. But then it's not a mystery because the camera has focused on a women crying her eyes out in the audience. It's obviously his mother. This is just my luck. Of course he's not only gorgeous, he's a nice person. Oh Griffin Alden, if only you knew that everything was definately not okay.

For the rest of the reapings, my stomach continued to churn. The district eight and nine tributes weren't very outstanding, except the district nine female tribute. If I thought I wanted to throw up after I saw the thirteen year old girl and Griffen, it was nothing compared to when they zoomed in on a two year old in the crowd when Brandi Hahn, the district nine tribute, voluntered.

The baby girl in the audience was an exact replica of Brandi. They had the same bleach blonde curly hair and blue eyes. the only differece was that Brandi's hair fell to her waist and she has a huge scar on her face from her eyebrow to her chin. The girl was obviously her daughter, and Brandi had voluntered for the games anyways.

District ten brought another shocked thirteen year old, but this time she has dirty blonde hair reaching right past her shoulders, innocent eyes, and sunkissed skin. She's one more kid that thought the odds were in her favor, but she was terribly wrong. Her district partner, Tyler Rivers, has a round face, longish dark hair, and friendly brown eyes. He's wearing a checkered shirt and a ten gallon hat that makes his overall appearance look like something out of a history book.

Soon we had seen district eleven and all that was left was district twelve. We sat watching our own reapings in silence. It was weird to see Yuki call out the girl's name just how I remembered her doing and it was even weirder seeing myself volunteer. I kept my composure well, and acted flawlessly just as I thought I had. They only show Rosie for a brief moment in the crowd, but that's all it takes for me to feel the tears welling up in my eyes. Then Kazran is reaped and I can see the exact moment that I remember the fire lighting up his eyes turning his scared expression into one that showed he was determined to win.

The reapings are over, and I can finally breath again. The silence is broken by Smith.

"So what do you think? Let me see you lists." He demands. I flip my paper back over and rip out the first list I made that deemed all the tributes a threat. I can hear Kazran ripping his out as well. We both hand them over at the same time, and I watch patiently for his reaction.

"Do you think this is some kind of joke?" He asks through gritted teeth. He shoves our papers in front of him so we can read each other's. I'm not the only one that turned in a fake list to Smith. Kazran's list has all the districts numbered and by every tribute, the word "DEAD" is written in all capital letters, including mine. Next to his name though, the word "ALIVE" is written and underlined heavily.

"Well, I think that in a game where everyone is trying to kill you, everyone is a threat." I explain.

"And if I'm going to come out alive, everyone else will have to be dead." Kazran added. In my opinion, he was right, but it was still disturbing that he had done it.

"Go to bed." Smith choked out trying not to scream at us.

That night my dreams were plagued by district seven male tributes, huge careers, and the word "DEAD" scrawled in big capital letters next to my name.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: WHAT? Another chapter? Yes, I am on a roll! Two in twenty four hours! Anyways, I hope you enjoy it and hopefully I'll get another chapter out either tomarrow or the next day. No promises though because it's christmas break and were leaving on Thursday. **

**Btw... I think my computer hates me. The spell checker still isn't working so I downloaded open office and guess what. IT DOESN'T FREAKING WORK ON THERE EITHER! So once again, please excuse the errors I'm working on getting it fixed.**

**Also, thank you to everyone that reviewed and submitted tributes! There's still alot of spots open though so check out the tribute list in chapter one(it's updated) and fill out the form on my profile if you want to enter a tribute.**

**xoxo,**

**Nikki**

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><p>KNOCK...<p>

KNOCK...

.KNO- "What!" I scream.

"It's time for breakfast! Then, you need to get dressed because we will be arriving at the Capitol soon!" Yuki screeches as if this is the best thing that has ever happened.

This causes me to bolt up in my bed. The Capitol means makeovers, chariot rides, interviews, training, and eventually the arena. I flop back down in my bed and cover my face with my pillow. I did not sleep well last night. My dreams quickly turned into nightmares with the other tributes as the main characters. I let out a sigh and roll out of my bed. My nightgown is wrinkly and my hair is now dry, but messy because of my restless sleep.

When I open my door, I'm met by Kazran flinging the door open to his own bedroom. He looks like he didn't get any sleep either, and he gives me a grunt as a greeting. We walk down the hallway to the kitchen side by side and when we get there, the counters are piled with food buffet style. Silently, we fill our plates and join Smith and Yuki at the table.

"Today, we will be entering the Capitol at around noon. Then, you will each get a little makeover and then we have the chariot rides! It's all going to be so exciting. I'm sure you'll love it.!" Kazran scoffs at this and I just roll my eyes. Yuki is completely clueless.

"During the chariot rides, I expect you to watch the other tributes. This is the first time you will see them face to face and it is important that you learn their strengths and weaknesses as quickly as you can. There will not be another stunt like last night. This is serious. Do you understand?" Smith lectures us. Kazran just grunts to show he heard him.

"Mhmm." I say say with my mouth full of pancakes. Once breakfast is over, Kazran and I retreat to our bedrooms to get ready for the day. After showering, I open the dresser and search through the clothes for something to wear.

"Finally!" I huff. The whole dresser is full of dress clothes and I just found the only pair of pants in the pile. I quickly pull the tight dark wash pants on along with a long sleeve, white blouse. The top is a little big so I push the sleeves up to my elbows while I slide Rosie's leather bracelet back on my wrist. Then, I run a brush through my damp hair and leave it to dry into natural waves.

When I return to the living room, Smith is sitting staring out the window. Past him I can see that we are just entering the capitol. I quietly sit in a comfortable chair and join him in watching the city go by. The Capitol looks just how I imagined it to be. The buildings are huge and the streets are alive with people.

"You know that I have made the decision to put all the sponsors towards Kazran, right?" He speaks suddenly.

"I do now." I reply.

"My job is to get one of you out of that arena. And I'm sorry but I believe Kazra will make it further."

"Your wrong. But give the sponsors to Kazran anyways. I don't care."

"Why?" He asks puzzled.

"I won't need them. I will survive without them just fine. Do me one favor though?"

"Depends on the favor."

"During the game, if something happens and I end up being in a situation that could kill me if I don't get help- like I need medicine, food, or water- would you send it to me? Just once and only if I desperately need it. Don't waste it for if I'm just a little hungry or something. Just if I can't survive any longer without it."

"Just once?"

"Yes, if I'm ever in that situation, I won't be stupid enough to let it happen a second time."

"I'll try."

"Thanks." Surprisingly, I'm not really bothered by the fact that Kazran is getting all the sponsors. I already knew that Smith didnt think I could win. Plus I think he will change his mind when he sees me in the arena. Before I know it, we are pulling to a stop at the train station and getting in a car that will take us to our temporary home. When we arrive, we are whisked off to our makeovers. Our stylists are Finley, Amora, and Ralin and they look and act truely bizarre. I thought Yuki's purple wig and silver tatoos were crazy, but these people take it to a completely different level.

"Hello, hello, hello!" The one with sparkly lips and pink skin cheers, "I'm Amora, and this is Finley and Ralin!"

"Oh my, we definately have some work to do but atleast your both attractive! Last year's couple was horrifying!" Finley rants as she blows her vibrant red, orange, and yellow hair out of her eyes. Ralin gives her a look and turns towards us.

"Sorry for their behavior," He chuckles." You learn to love them. We have great outfits planned for the chariot ride and they're going to look perfect on both of you." I flash Ralin a smile and Kazran just stares.

"So, if you'll join me," he says to Kazran, "I'll get started on you while the girls fix your friend up." I want to tell him that you have to have spoken more than three words to someone in order to be their friend, but I keep my comments to myself and follow Finley and Amora.

After they wax every inch of my body, lather me with lotion, pluck my eyebrows, rewash my hair, and trim the ends of it, they sit me in chair so they can do my hair and makeup. Finley quickly blow dries my hair, and runs a brush through it as Amora begins to set up her supply of makeup.

Soon Finley is yanking at my hair as she twists it around a curling iron, and Amora is running brushes over my face demanding me to tilt my head a certain way or close my eyes so she can apply eyeshadow. Every now and then, Finley stops what she's doing to take a look at Amora's work, or Amora throws a suggestion back to Finley about my hair.

A couple hours and a lot of hairspray later, Finley pulls me out of my chair and behind a curtain to change. She has me step into a gorgeous black dress and she zips the back up once I have it all the way on.

"Can you walk in heels?" She questions.

"Yes." My mother taught me how to a couple months before the reapings.

"Thank goodness!" She exclaims as she grabs a black pair of pumps from a shoe box and slides them on my feet. Then she clips a big, jeweled necklace around my neck so it lays a few centimeters above my dress. After that, she looks me up and down and drags me by the hand back to Amora. They both stand staring at me for a moment before Amora rushes off to her makeup kit and comes back with a tiny container and a brush. She quickly dabs her brush into the dark gray sparkles and brushes it over my arms, shoulders, and chest.

"There! Your finished!" She declares.

"You look amazing!" Finley gushes. They push me towards a mirror so I can see the final results. When I see myself I can't help but let out a little gasp. Finley was right, I do look amazing.

My long, brown hair falls in big, loose curls to the middle of my back. They did my eye makeup dark and dramatic, lining my eyes with black eyeliner, smokey eyeshadow, and heavy but not overdone black mascara. My foundation looks very natural with just a tint of blush on my cheekbones and I have an almost nude, pale pink lipstick on. The overall affect makes my green eyes pop and stand out even better than before. My outfit is a simple strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. It is tight around my waist but then from there, flows down to the ground like water. My necklace is flashy, but beatiful and the body glitter Amora dusted me with makes me shimmer in the light.

This is definately alot better than the typical coal miner outfits the designers usually make. This year they simply stuck with dark gray and black with a tiny bit of shimmer to immitate the coal's charcoal colors. The look makes me seem beautiful and intimadating without coming off too harsh.

"Thank you. It's great." I tell the girls with a huge smile on my face.

"Oh your welcome! Now let's go see if Ralin is finished with Kazran." Finley insists as she leads me to the room next to the one we are in. When we enter the room, Ralin is buttoning up the last button on Kazran's shirt. His dark hair has been cut into a buzz cut and his eyebrows shaped in a way that makes him look harsh and threatening. He's wearing black dress pants, black shoes, a black belt, and a dark gray, long sleeve, button up shirt tucked into his pants.

He looks up at me after I enter and sweeps his gaze over my body before catching my eye and giving me a small smile. I smile back and walk over to join him in a briefing on how we should act infront of the crowd. I notice that I stand a few inches taller than him in my heels, but he still looks great.

"So we were thinking that maybe Karma could flash a stunning smile to the crowd and wave every now and then while Kazran mainly stares looks at the crowd with a smirk on his face. The important part is to act confident." Ralin explains.

"Smile and wave a little, got it." I tell him. Kazran nods in agreement plastering a smirk on his face as if he's practicing for the real show.

This is it. We're getting ready to see all the tributes in real life for the first time and they're all going to see us for the first time. It's time to use my acting skills and woe the crowd while not standing out as a major threat to the other tributes.

I adjust Rosie's bracelet on my wrist which I had refused to take off even though it doesn't really match my outfit. Nobody in the crowd would notice anyways, but Rosie would notice if I didn't wear it. I know for sure that she will be watching tonight. There's no way she would miss it. I let go of the bracelet and take a deep breath.

It's show time.


	6. Chapter 5

**And the story continues(:**

**We are finally full so I can start writing without all this annoying start stop stuff I've been having to do to beg for tributes. haha**

**I'd like to do one giant thanks to:**

**Bianca666 (Tyler Rivers)**

**xRynn (Alyssa Ruth)**

**Fina2212 (Jennie Malacox)**

**alybobaly (Tranoe Zeefer and Zafeera Anderson)**

**BloomingRue (Joyln King and Payton Joon)**

**ifelloffmaadionaasur (Llexandra Lane)**

**Hello (Crawn Xeil and Alfred Dixon)**

**Fuzzycat901 (Brandi Hahn)**

**Hayley TT Showbiz (Ozzy Rodregez)**

**BBree23 (Sky Richards)**

**Chocobo ProdoCo (Ayanelle (Aya) Breau)**

**AND**

**FlierBoots (Fortune White)**  
><strong>For sending in tributes!:D<strong>

**Also thank you Fina2212, ifelloffmaadionaasur, alybobaly, Hello, Fuzzycat901, and Chocobo ProdoCo for reviewing,**

**Bbree23, Fishfreak222, and FlamingArrows for adding it to your favorites,**

**AND**

**Bianca666, Fina2212, Fuzzycat901, and Pupluver43 for adding it to your alert list!**

**Phew! Finally done with that! I'm not super thrilled with this chapter and it's kind of short, but here it is. sorry for any mistakes!(((:**

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><p>After walking through a maze of hallways, Kazran and I finally make it to the door that will take us to the lined up chariots. We both pause infront of the door and look at each other.<p>

"Ready?" Kazran questions.

"As I'll ever be." I huff before I take a deep breath, stand tall, and step through the door Kazran has pushed open. Once we are inside, I sneak a glance around the room before setting my gaze on district twelve's chariot. About half of the tributes are here, but none of the careers are present yet. As we walk towards our chariot, I can feel everyone staring at us. I peek at Kazran out of the corner of my eye and notice that he has a bored expression on his face. If the staring is making him uncomfortable, he's not showing it.

We make it to our chariot with a sigh of relief and Kazran leans against it with a shrug.

"Watch this." he whispers with a smirk. He stands up straight, and then suddenly whips his head towards the other tributes. They all frantically avoid his gaze and try to act as if they hadn't just been caught watching us.

"Stop it." I half whisper while failing to hold back a laugh. "You're going to draw too much attention towards us."

"I don't care." He shrugs with a smile.

"Well I do." I say seriously this time. He rolls his eyes at me and looks away. I follow his gaze to the door where the first tributes of the career pack are entering. It's district one, and they look stunning. Jennie Malacox's snow white hair is perfectly straight and she's wearing a short, silver sequined tank dress and nude pumps. Her district partner is dressed in black dress pants and a black button up shirt with the top button carelessly undone. His icy blue eyes are the only sign of color on him.

They both strut into the room with confidence as they absorb their surrondings. The few that dare to stare openly are met with Jennie's threatening glare and they quickly shift their gaze away. I notice that Crawn isn't acting like the usual district one career with his warm energy and a small, friendly smile on his lips that doesn't quite reach his eyes. They reach their chariot and he offers his hand to help her up which she grudgingly accepts.

"Huh what do ya know, the killer has some manners." Kazran mumbles.

"Just because you have suddenly decided to speak more than three words to me today, doesn't mean I suddenly want to hear them. Let's try to keep the ignorant comments to ourselves, Kay?" I snap back and he replies with a glare.

I return to studying District One. It looks as if they are having a conversation. Crawn turns his head and Jennie follows his gaze down the line until they are both looking straight at me. We stare at each other for a moment before Crawn's head tilts to the side like he's contemplating something. Then he's interupted by Jennie who's shaking her head making her silky hair sweep back and forth.

"No," I can read her lips even if I can't hear her. "She's nothing special." Crawn nods and turns back around and I'm left staring at the backs of their heads. It's obvious that they were trying to decide if anyone looked like they could be a career. Apparently I don't seem like a threat. They couldn't be more wrong.

Suddenly my view is blocked by a flash of gray. It's District Two, and they are both dressed as statues complete with gray full body paint. I stifle a laugh at the girl's long gray dress and braided bun and her partner's gray pants and naked gray chest. It's typical for designers to make very literal outfits pertaining to the district's industry and statues for the stone makers is not an exception. I'm just glad it's them and we didn't get stuck in skimpy coal miner costumes like some previous tributes from our district. It doesn't really matter that they have ridiculous outfits anyway, the girl still looks pretty in a kind of ordinary way and being shirtless definately shows off Tranoe's muscles.

They stop and have a mini staring contest with District One before Crawn sticks his hand out and introduces himself. I watch them standing around talking for awhile, probably bragging about all the training they've had, before I direct my gaze towards the next district.

District three is completely opposite from the first two. They in no way look threatening. Joyln, the young girl that froze and had to be carried on stage at the reapings, looks nice in her knee length dress that flashes like a hundred tiny light bulbs. The boy has on a matching shirt that is incredibly baggy on him. He is pale, scrawny, and sickly looking. It doesn't look like they are going to stick together in the games because they are standing far from each other and avoiding each other's eye by checking out the other tributes.

District Four are the only ones that haven't arrived yet, so I move on to five. My eyes are instantly drawn to the guy that I remember as Alfred. He is fairly good looking, but that isn't what attracts my attention. What makes me notice him is that he is easily as big as Tranoe. He's tall and muscular with shoulder length blond hair and tanned skin. I can see him joining either the careers, or another strong alliance. He is talking to his district partner, a small fourteen year old, in a bored way. They probably won't stay together.

I couldn't remember District Six's names if my life depended on it. The girl is a tiny twelve year old and the guy is fairly average. He suddenly bursts out laughing at something the girl says causing a small smile to appear on her face. Everyone stops and casts a look in their direction then return to what they were doing before after realizing nothing interestig had happened.

I can see District Seven, but I pass over them and go straight to eight. I'll come back and watch them later. Neither of District Eight's tributes are talking. The girl, Sky, is starring at the career pack while her partner, another twelve year old, stares off in space. The girl will most likely last longer than the boy.

The next district consists of the eighteen year old mother and a chubby boy. The boy tries to say something to her but she shakes her head and snaps something back before going back to watching District Five's male tribute Alfred.

The two tributes in District ten are dressed as cowboys and the guy is wearing the same hat that he wore at the reapings. Even though there is a pretty large age difference, it looks like they will stick together in the arena. The boy gives her a toothy smile and she nods and smiles back as they continue to converse.

The district directly in front of us is composed of a beautiful girl with dark hair and slightly brown skin. She bites her lip then looks over at the male before quickly averting her eyes. The guy is muscular and extremely dark and doesn't seem to be paying attention to the pretty girl next to him.

The door bangs closed loudly and I whip my head in the direction of the noise. Wearing a one piece, lime green swimsuit, Llexandra Lane prances in with Ozzy clad in green swim trunks and carrying a trident. Her wavy hair is in a high ponytail and it swings as she walks. When they get to their chariot Ozzy leaves her to join the career group that have smirks etched on their faces because of his outfit. I have no idea why they were the last ones here when they have the simplest outfits.

Eventually I stop watching the career's exchange and look at District Seven. They are both dressed in lumber jack outfits including ripped jeans, work boots and plaid shirts. The female almost looks like a male with her short hair and boyish body. She is glaring at the careers like she already hates them. Which I guess is possible, they are the careers.

I let my eyes shift over to focus soley on Griffin. His short, dark hair matches his warm chocolate eyes, and he's leaning lazily against his chariot. He's taller than me, but not by much and even though they are hidden under his baggy shirt, I can tell that he has some muscles. Without me realizing it, his gaze has landed on me and I accidently make eye contact with him. He gives me a small smile.

No. It's not fair that he's handsome and nice. He's not making it very easy for me to do my job. I can feel my eyebrows crinkle together and my lips pull down in a frown. This wipes the tiny smile off his face and I redirect my attention to Kazran who is getting into our chariot.

"You coming or what?" Kazran asks in a rude tone.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm coming." I reply looking one last time in Griffin's direction to see that he has joined his partner in the chariot. It's like he can feel me watching him because his head turns towards me and I quickly look away as I take my spot next to Kazran.

...

Most of the tributes have already passed infront of the rowdy crowd and are waiting at the stopping point for the speech. District One went out and didn't even smile and they got some of the loudest cheering so far. District Four had the most because they both smiled and waved and paid alot of attention to the crowd. The cheering started off really loud, but now that it has reached District ten, the crowd is bored and doesn't cheer as much.

The chariot in front of us rolls forward and into the viewer's sight. Once they reach the end, it's our turn. Our chariot suddenly lurches forward and I have to grip the bar in front of me to keep from falling off. I take a couple of deep breaths before plastering a smile on my face and glancing over at Kazran. He's already smirking when we turn the corner and the crowd gets their first real look at us. I lift my hand, making sure that it's the one with Rosie's bracelet on it so she can see it, and give the crowd a cute wave which makes them cheer louder.

I sneak a peek at the giant televisions suspended above us. We look great and it is obvious the crowd agrees. I go back to smiling and waving while Kazran smirks next to me. Eventually we reach the end, and the crowd dies down for the speech. I don't listen to a single word being said and instead think about how well we did. The crowd loved us and we got almost as many cheers as District one. At the same time, the other tributes didn't see me as a major threat.

When we return to our rooms, I immediately change into a night gown, remove my makeup, and slip into bed. Today went better than I could have ever hoped. I fall asleep thinking about the tributes and knowing that the next day I get to see them in action, because tomarrow is the first training day.


	7. AN IMPORTANT

Please don't kill me. I know I haven't updated since over a month ago, and I'm soooo sorry. I've had some MAJOR writer's block. I have had almost the whole next chapter done for awhile now, but when I started going into the part about training, I just couldn't write it. It wasn't turning out the way I wanted it and I think this part of the story is really important because it's the beginning of alliances and it's the part where I start writing about the characters you gave me. I'm having a hard time writing your tributes the way I see them in my head and it is really bothering me. SO, I think since I am overall unhappy with the chapter I have so far, I am going to completely throw it out and start over. Hopefully that will help me get back into the direction I want to go with the story. If all goes well, I'm hoping to have this chapter out before the weekend is over. Let me know if you all are still there and haven't just given up hope that I was ever going to update again;P


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